Backyard vows

Brittney Sullivan thought she knew just about everything there was to know about weddings. As a photographer, she’s attended more than 100 nuptials. But when the 27-year-old set out to plan her own wedding at her future in-laws’ Vancouver home and gardens, she was surprised by the amount of work involved, not to mention the expense.

“Everything just adds up faster than you realize,” said Sullivan, who wed husband Nick in September 2008.

She and Nick had talked about a destination wedding in Mexico, but realized many of their friends and family wouldn’t be able to make the trip. Instead, they opted for a big home wedding.

The choice of venue was sentimental, as well as practical. The couple met at Nick’s parents’ house in 2004, when Brittney was the photographer at his brother’s wedding.

“I think it was a lot more personal” having the event at home, Brittney said.

Their decision is in line with a growing trend toward customized, intimate weddings.

“I think a lot of people are seeing that it’s cozy, it’s personal,” said Sharon Stimpfle, deputy site director of WeddingChannel.com.

These ceremonies can run the gamut from simple to lavish. Home weddings are becoming popular among celebrities, such as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen, as well as E! reality TV personality Kendra Wilkinson and wide receiver Hank Baskett. Seeing stars get married at private homes helps propel the trend, Stimpfle said.

o Accoring to WeddingChannel.com and The Knot’s 2008 Real Weddings Study, 8 percent of brides hold their wedding ceremony in a backyard or private garden, and 5 percent hold the reception there.

But for many, emulating the glamour of a Hollywood fete has nothing to do with the decision to wed at home. The choice comes down to dollars and cents.

As couples are getting married later in life, many are paying for their own weddings and eager to cut costs, Stimpfle said.

The recession has led to a surge in home weddings as well, said Portland wedding consultant Cindy Rosen, whom the Sullivans hired for their nuptials.

Rosen, owner of Encore Events, has been a wedding consultant for six years. She hadn’t had much experience with home weddings until last year, when she did three.

The cost of the average U.S. wedding dropped almost 3½ percent in 2009 ($28,385 excluding honeymoon, according to WeddingChannel.com and The Knot’s most recent Real Weddings Study, compared with $29,334 in 2008). Many people assume home weddings will be less expensive, because there’s no facility rental fee. But the hidden costs often make home weddings as expensive or even more so than those held at hotels, vineyards or ballrooms.

“In the end, a lot of them realize, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s a lot of work,’ and they end up spending a lot of money to get the place ready,” Rosen said. “Basically, you’re building an event facility.”

The Sullivans discovered this firsthand when they set out to plan a wedding in less than six weeks for $10,000. By the time they brought in a tent to turn the sport court into a dancing and dining area, tables, chairs, linens, dishes, glassware and flatware, not to mention food and drink, they’d spent closer to $20,000.

They got lucky because Brittney’s former employers at AJ’s Studio in Vancouver donated photography services. Also, her in-laws’ home has seven bathrooms, so they didn’t need to rent portable restrooms.

Their make-your-own tacos and other Mexican food, catered by the Portland-based Original Taco House, were popular and a relatively inexpensive way to feed guests. It’s good the Sullivans liked the food, since they had “leftovers for weeks,” Brittney said. They also wound up with three extra kegs and leftover beer and boxes of wine.

“It’s really, really hard to estimate how many people drink what,” she said.

A benefit of home weddings and receptions is the ability to choose one’s own caterer or make do without one. Most venues require parties to use their restaurant or pick from a list of preferred vendors, said Vancouver wedding planner Kathleen Cunningham of Kathleen Cunningham Design, whose son and daughter-in-law, David and Racheal Erickson, got married at a private Clark County home in September 2006.

With a home wedding, couples have more freedom.

“You can run your own show. You have fewer rules to follow,” Cunningham said.

It also can be soothing on a stressful day to be in a familiar environment.

“It’s a little calmer, a little more peaceful to be in a home rather than a generic place,” David Erickson said.

Rentals are usually the most expensive part of a home wedding, Rosen and Cunningham said. A tent alone can run anywhere from $1,000 for four poles and a top to $5,000 or $6,000 for a large, lighted, lined tent with side panels, Rosen noted.

In the Northwest, even during the summer, the weather is too unpredictable not to have a tent, Rosen said. If it doesn’t rain, a tent provides shade for guests. She advises people to reserve them far in advance, since they book up quickly.

In addition to pricey rentals, there’s also all the sweat equity that goes into a home wedding to consider.

“At venues, they take care of everything for you,” Brittney Sullivan said. Private residences aren’t set up to entertain hundreds of guests, or even dozens. “You have to bring everything in, set it up, take it down.”

In the days leading up to her wedding, the whole family pitched in to help with decorations and other preparations. Afterward, they hired cleaners to undo the havoc 300 guests will wreak on a house.

It was a lot of work, but Sullivan wouldn’t change a thing about her home wedding. Because they weren’t at a paid venue, they could keep the party going as long as they wanted. The revelries stretched on from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day.

The house has a game room, so they hired blackjacks dealers and brought in roulette and craps to entertain guests. The home backs onto the beach, so the couple were able to exchange vows by the water. When darkness fell, they set off fireworks.

These unique touches made all the hassles worthwhile.

“It was perfect,” Sullivan said.

When couples are prepared and do their homework, that’s often the outcome, Rosen agreed.

“If they go off right, there’s nothing better than a home wedding,” Rosen said. “As long as people realize it’s not necessarily a money saver and will take a lot more time and effort. When they’re good, they’re really good. But when they’re bad, they’re horrid.”

Mary Ann Albright: maryann.albright@columbian.com, 360-735-4507.

Home I-do to-dos

If you’re planning a home wedding or reception, it may not be as low-cost, low-fuss as you’d think. Here are some things to consider:

Budget

Unless your wedding is very intimate and fairly casual, tying the knot at home can cost more than an event held at a professional venue.

Rentals

Tents, tables, table linens, chairs, chair covers, silverware, glassware, plates — the list is long and the items pricey. While a hotel or restaurant is built to accommodate the dining and drinking of many guests, a home is usually stocked to host just a few people.

Decor

A formal wedding will require more decor than a casual one. Manicured lawns, a flowering rose garden, and paper lanterns strung from trees may be all you need for a gorgeous backdrop. Often landscaping must be done to prepare the yard, including planting trees and flowers for a more lush locale.

Utilities

Your caterer, your band, and your lighting scheme all need a source of electricity. Think about how many outlets are available and plan to bring in power generators if needed. Consider whether you’ll need portable heating or cooling units.

Restrooms

You don’t want your guests spending their time in line for the bathroom, so consider renting portable restrooms.

Parking

If you’re expecting a large number of guests, consider arranging for a shuttle to ferry people to and from a nearby parking lot. If guests will be parking in your driveway, does it need to be resurfaced? If they’ll be parking on the lawn, consider the wear and tear on your grass.

Restricted areas

Decide whether there are areas in the house that you want to rope off. Close doors to rooms that are off-limits.

Legalities

Check your homeowner’s insurance policy to make sure you have adequate premise liability and premise medical liability coverage. If you hire a wedding coordinator, caterer or other vendors, ask what liability coverage they carry, and whether your event would be covered under their policies.

You don’t need a liquor license to serve alcohol at a home wedding, although the bride and groom cannot sell alcohol they purchased to guests; only a liquor-licensed business can sell alcohol under state law.

Depending on the size of the wedding, and how much it will impact the neighborhood and city services, a special-event permit may be required. This typically would only apply to weddings with several hundred guests. Other permits may be necessary, as well. The fire department might require a permit for fireworks, for example. The transportation department might require a street-use permit to accommodate the extra parking needs on your block. Noise ordinances must be observed. In Vancouver, amplified music is prohibited between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Notify your neighbors before the event, so they won’t be caught off guard. Vancouver residents with other questions should call the City of Vancouver’s Special Events Manager, Cara Cantonwine, at 360-487-8630 or the planning department hot line at 360-487-7803.

Professional assist

Given that organizing a wedding is unfamiliar territory for most people, it might be a good idea to hire a wedding planner. Another option is for couples to handle the planning themselves but contract with a day-of wedding coordinator to make sure the big event runs smoothly.

Sources: WeddingChannel.com, Portland wedding consultant Cindy Rosen, City of Vancouver Special Events Manager Cara Cantonwine, City of Vancouver Associate Planner Sandy Wozny, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner Spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis and Washington State Liquor Control Board Spokeswoman Anne Radford.